Plasmius Terminus
by Ghostboy814
Summary: Vlad is terminally ill. What happens to his ghost half? Can he ever forgive Jack for causing that accident? DxS at the end.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom!**

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Plasmius Terminus

It was raining that night as three friends made their way back from the movies. Their quick goodbyes were stifled by booming thunder, their young heads quickly becoming drenched as they sprinted their separate ways towards the comfort of their own homes. For one Danny Fenton, this meant the brick townhouse with the large, metallic Op Center and neon FentonWorks sign. He hurriedly unlocked the front door and dashed in so as to get out of the wind and rain.

"I'm back!" he called. Not hearing a reply, he glanced around the darkened house for a telltale source of light; he found one in the kitchen just as lightning flickered outside. He entered the kitchen and beheld the rest of his family seated around the kitchen table. He took a moment to analyze their facial expressions so as to try and figure out what was going on:

His father, Jack, was easiest to read. Tears were flowing freely down his pudgy face. He was clutching the telephone for dear life, and his lower lip was quivering faster than the Fenton Lie Detector that time when he'd hooked Danny up to it in order to try and figure out just what his son was doing after school. Luckily for Danny, his dad wasn't the most adept at analyzing the results of a lie detector. But that wasn't the issue at the moment.

His sister was more difficult to read than his dad. Jazz was staring at the ground morosely, looking as though she felt like she should be grieving, but wasn't quite sure whether or not she was able to. She nervously tapped the metallic table with her index fingernail in rhythm with Jack's whimpers. _Tap, sniff, tap, sniff, tap, sniff, BOOM! _They both jumped when their rhythm was suddenly broken by the thunder, but almost immediately resumed.

His mother was the most difficult. Her face was contorted in a way Danny had never seen before; it was a cross between bitter glee, shame at even feeling said glee, and an unnerving sense of insecurity. It was kind of scaring the fifteen-year-old.

"What happened?" he asked in a quiet voice. Nobody answered him.

"Guys?" Jazz snapped out of her reverie.

"Oh, hey Danny. How was your movie?" She asked weakly.

"What's going on, what happened?" he replied in a serious tone.

"I'd forgotten; you were out when we got the phone call."

"What happened, Jazz?"

"Vlad's dying," Maddie interrupted, startling both of the children. They saw a flash of lightning at the same time as they heard the thunder, and the lights in the kitchen flickered out, leaving the four Fentons sitting in complete darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom!**

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When the FentonWorks generator (powered by the ecto-converter) came on-line and the kitchen became flooded with light once more, Jazz calmly explained to Danny that while he was at the movies, they had received a phone call. Apparently, for the last twenty years Vlad had had a rare type of skin cancer, a side effect of the accident that had given him his powers. However, the cancer had remained dormant and nobody had known about it, not even Vlad himself. It became malignant over that past week and Vlad was failing fast. Instead of being hospitalized, he had arranged for a medical service to come to his castle regularly until the time came. He called the Fentons because they were the only ones he wanted to visit him before he passed on, and to inform them that a plane was being sent for them. It was going to arrive at midnight that night.

"We better start packing, then," the young halfa rasped, his voice barely above a whisper. He heaved his father up from his seat as Jazz took their mother, and the children lead their parents into their room. Jack and Maddie followed numbly, as though they were too shocked and confused to be capable of moving by themselves. Once their children placed a suitcase on their bed, they seemed to come to their senses a little bit and began packing, although they remained silent. The Fenton children walked down the hallway side by side, and only split up when they had to enter their own rooms to pack their things.

Danny opened his blue suitcase and began piling various articles of clothing inside with numb fingers. _I can't believe this,_ he thought. _How can Vlad be dying? I mean, yeah, we were arch-nemeses, but I would never wish something like this on him. Unless-_his eyes flashed green for a second-_unless this is a plot to lure us to his castle, so that he can try the usual-kill Dad, make me and Mom join him…but I don't think it's a plot this time. I think he really is sick, and needs his dearest friends by his side._

The doorbell rang. It was the driver of a car that Vlad had hired to bring the Fenton family to the airport. The four of them brought down their suitcases, and silently entered the car. When it brought them to the airport, Maddie quietly thanked the man and left him a decent tip.

The Fentons made it through the airport without much trouble; Jack had been too distraught to even remember to bring any of his ecto-guns, so they even got through security without a hitch. They covered their heads with their hands in a feeble attempt to protect themselves from the pouring rain as they crossed the tarmac over to the small plane that was waiting for them. Danny vaguely recognized the pilot as the same one who had forced him and his mother out of their plane oh-so-long ago. But right now that didn't really matter to him. All he could think about was what was going to happen at Vlad's place when they arrived.

Suddenly, he remembered a previously forgotten variable-Sam and Tucker. He chastised himself, reminding himself that this was family business and as much as they were considered 'one of the family,' among his parents and sister, it still wasn't their obligation to attend. Besides, he wouldn't force something like this on them; it was sure to be emotionally taxing, and the last thing he'd want to do would be to make them endure more trauma than the usual day's ghost fight brought on. Once they were seated, he sent each of them a brief text message that outlined where he was and asking that they don't call him for the next few days; he would call them if he needed to talk to them. Danny turned his phone off just as the plan taxied onto the runway and began picking up speed for take-off.

A few minutes after the plane leveled off, Danny opened a window and looked out at the starry sky. Since they were above the tropopause and therefore the clouds, he could easily see constellations that were barely visible at best from his usual view atop the Op Center. He couldn't find the moon; it must be floating serenely on the other side of the plane. Danny turned back to behold the rest of his family sound asleep; the period of time between their receiving the phone call and him coming home must have been extremely trying for them. Danny curled up into a tight ball tried to get some rest.

_Danny was exploring the castle when he saw an interesting-looking door. He opened the door and gasped-the room he had entered was a vast chrome lab with an odd cylinder in the middle. Danny approached the cylinder and jumped back, startled. Vlad was in the life pod, immersed in a viscous, pink liquid. His white hair was suspended chaotically, and his eyes were closed. He appeared to be breathing through a mask covering his mouth and nose, the other end of which was attacked to a tube that led into one of the large machines surrounding the life pod. Suddenly, one of the machines began beeping rapidly. Danny ran over to it and immediately recognized it as an Electro-Cardiograph Generator. The display, which had previously showed a steady heartbeat, now only showed a broken, flat line. One by one, all of Vlad's lifelines began slowing down until they stopped completely. Danny stood in the middle of the room with his hands over his head, trying to block out all of the beeping of the machines as well as the guilty feeling that somehow his presence had corrupted Vlad's recovery. He looked up to the dead man floating before him for guidance, and was greeted with a shock that made him nearly jump out of his skin. Vlad's eyes were open and glowing bright red. The machines started beeping faster and faster, until they overloaded and exploded. Danny watched with eyes the size of dinner plates as Vlad Plasmius broke free of his human half and exited the life pod._

_"You killed my human half…Daniel…"_

_"N-no! I didn't! I wouldn't!"_

_"You did, Daniel…" Plasmius duplicated into four and they all released a Ghostly Wail at Danny. The four red sonic blasts hit him dead-on, and Danny fell to the ground with his hands over his ears, screaming…_

"Danny! Danny, wake up!" Danny groggily opened his eyes. Almost immediately he jammed them closed again and put his hands over his ears; he realized that the pain running through his head wasn't actually four Ghostly Wails, it was just the air cavities in his body adjusting to the change in pressure around him as the plane descended. In other words, his ears were popping.

"You were dreaming, Danny, but you have to wake up, we've landed and it's time to get off." Danny fully opened his eyes and saw Jazz shaking him. His parents had already grabbed their suitcases and were leaving the plane.

"Geez, you'd think that after flying so much I'd be used to the changes in air pressure…" he grumbled.

"It's probably easier when you're a ghost; you're just not used to it as a human. Come on." She yanked him out of his seat and each of them grabbed their bags and made their way off the plane.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:I do not own Danny Phantom!**

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It was a clear night in Madison Wisconsin. As such, it was about ten degrees outside, so the Fentons were all shivering uncontrollably by the time they got inside of the limousine that Vlad had sent for them.

The atmosphere in the car was sullen and morose. The four Fentons sat around in a daze with their heads leaned against the windows for the duration of the ride. Once they arrived, a butler escorted them inside and led each of them to their rooms. He informed them that the cook was preparing something that would be ready for them in about half an hour, and that they could visit Vlad after that. Jack and Maddie entered their room arm in arm, while Jazz and Danny both sat down on his bed.

"How are you doing?" She asked.

"All right, I guess. You?" She sighed.

"As well as could be expected, I suppose. What were you dreaming about on the plane? It looked as though you were having a nasty nightmare." Danny laughed nervously.

"It was-" he gulped down the lump that had formed in his throat. "I dreamed that I was responsible for Vlad dying."

"Danny, you know that's not the case."

"I know, Jazz, but I just can't convince myself that I know I know!" he yelled. She stared at him oddly for a second. "That made no sense whatsoever, did it?"

"Nope."

"Didn't think so." He sighed. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm consciously aware of the fact that I am in no way responsible for," he gestured around the castle, "_this._ Us being here, and the circumstances that brought us here. But my subconscious, on the other hand, is trying to make me believe that I somehow hurt him fatally during one of the times we fought. It's trying to make me feel guilty because I hated him so much, and now he's going to…" his voice trailed off.

"Damn subconscious," Jazz joked.

"Got that right, sister," he replied. They heard a knock on the door and opened it to reveal the butler, who informed them that the meal was ready. They thanked him and went downstairs.

Dinner that night, or early morning if you want to be technical about it, was a very subdued ordeal. The four Fentons ate slowly and silently. Suddenly, Jack stood up from the table.

"I can't take it anymore," he announced. "I have to see V-man!" before any of the others could stop him, he bounded out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Maddie, Jazz, and Danny followed his trail and ended up outside a large mahogany set of double doors with an "M" inscribed in gold cursive on them. They knew this to be the room where Vlad was being kept, and they surmised that Jack had already gone inside. They sat down on the three chairs that had been placed in the hallway across from the door for their convenience, and waited for him to come out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom!**

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"Vladdie?" Jack's question penetrated the myriad of machines and tubes that surrounded his best friend and college roommate.

"Jack…" a weak voice called out from the center of the mechanical mess.

"I'm here, Vlad. I'm here to see you."

"Thanks for coming, Jack…You and your family…"

"It was nothing, V-man. You're a part of our family too, you know. And we'd do anything for you. _Anything_." He began sobbing uncontrollably.

"It's okay, Jack…let it out…" Vlad lay patiently as Jack let his emotions get the better of him. The bear of a man eventually quieted down enough to hear his friend speak.

"I'm so sorry…Jack…"

"Sorry? What have you got to be sorry for? I caused the accident that made you like this. _I_ should be apologizing to _you_."

"That's the thing, Jack. All these years I blamed you for the accident, and I did horrible things to you because of it…"

"Don't be stupid, Vlad, you've never done anything to me…"

"I did. You see, in addition to giving me this cancer, the lab accident also made me part ghost."

"No…"

"Yes. It was a side effect of the ecto-acne... I blamed you for the incident and used my powers to get back at you... You remember the Wisconsin Ghost?"

"Yeah…"

"That's me in my ghost form."

"So you…tried to kill me?" Vlad sighed.

"I did. Again, I was disillusioned and blamed everything on you. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am…"

"Why are you telling me this now, V-man?" Jack asked softly.

"Because I don't want to come back as a ghost and so I need to get rid of all of my unfinished business now. I'm tired of using power for personal gain; I've finally seen the error of my ways and I want to try and make amends for all the horrible things I've done."

"Vlad, I…" Jack's voice trailed off.

"This must be a lot to process. I know it certainly was for me that night in the hospital, when I found out what the accident had truly made me. Go outside for a bit, and send Maddie in. Oh, and Jack?"

"Yeah, Vlad?"

"Once again," a tear welled up in Vlad's eye. "I'm so sorry." Jack silently turned around and left the room. He re-entered the hallway with tears streaming down his face and whispered to Maddie that she was wanted next.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom!**

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"Maddie…is that you?" Vlad asked as he heard the second person enter the room.

"Yes, Vlad, it's me."

"Ah, Maddie, what can I possibly say? How can I possibly put my feelings for you into words?"

"Cut it, Vlad. You already tried that back in Colorado." Maddie gasped, surprised at the venom of her own outburst.

"Maddie, even you should know that I wouldn't dream of trying to win you over while in this state."

"So quit trying."

"I'm not trying. Maddie, you know I love you more than anything. More than even the Packers. You also know that I can never have you because you're married to Jack."

"So you're willing to give up your feelings?"

"No, but I'm willing to give up acting on my feelings."

"Yeah, great timing with that."

"Forgive me for trying to tie up the loose ends in my life."

"You shouldn't have let them get so loose while you were still living. Honestly, you could have said something before being on you deathbed, you know." Vlad sighed.

"I guess I'll never be able to even get you to see things through my eyes. Fine, I have nothing more to say to you. Send in Daniel." Maddie left the room in a huff and faced Danny.

"He wants to see you now." She growled. Danny gulped and went inside.

"Hey, Vlad," he said softly.

"Daniel…good to see you, my boy." Danny hesitated.

"I'm so sorry, Vlad."

"For what?"

"For causing all of this." Vlad was so shocked that he actually sat upright in his bed.

"You honestly think _you_ were the cause of all this?"

"Uh…"

"My dear boy, my current condition has nothing to do with you. I promise." He coughed and sank back down to a recumbent position. "I should be apologizing to you. I caused you so much pain, so much misery; I deserve this fate."

"No."

"What was that?"

"No," Danny repeated, determination clearly showing in his ice-blue eyes. "Nobody deserves to die, Vlad. Nobody." Vlad coughed again.

"I'm almost glad that Jack got to raise you…you've become an upstanding young man, Daniel."

"Almost?" the elder halfa shrugged.

"I never said that I apologize for wanting you as a son, just for the means through which I attempted to obtain you." Vlad's breathing became shallow and the machines around him began beeping.

"Vlad!" Danny shouted.

"Daniel…let me give you one piece of fatherly advice…don't let the ones you love slip away from you…don't let Samantha follow the same path as Maddie, or you'll turn into me…"

"No, you'll make it through this, don't give up!"

"It's too late for me…goodbye, Daniel…goodbye, son." Vlad closed his eyes as the machines began beeping faster and faster. All of a sudden, they stopped. Everything stopped. Danny was panting as though he had just run a mile, but besides for him everything in the room was deadly silent.

Suddenly, Danny's ghost sense went off. However, instead of the usual blue, the spectral mist that he breathed out was bloodred. The mist traveled down to Vlad's prone body and entered his mouth. The corpse was surrounded by an eerie red glow and Vlad Plasmius stepped out of the body.

Vlad's ghost floated towards Danny. The halfa flinched, but Plasmius wasn't targeting him. The ghost flew right through Danny and then through the door behind him. Danny heard a scream and a thud.

He yanked the door open and saw Plasmius kissing Maddie. Jazz was passed out on the floor, and Danny surmised that it had been she who had screamed. Plasmius pulled away from Danny's mother, a look of contentment appearing on his face. Then he disappeared. Simply faded out of existence.

"He's…" Jack began, but couldn't finish.

"Gone." Danny finished for him. "He finally found peace."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom!**

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The funeral was a few days later. It was a short procession; Vlad had requested that he be buried underneath the football field outside his house. Hundreds of people, mostly employees of Dalv corp. its subsidiary, Axiom Labs, attended. Danny looked for Valerie and her father halfheartedly, but saw no sign of them. After the majority of the mourners had left, a man approached Danny in the main hall of the castle.

"Daniel Fenton, I presume?" He asked. Danny looked him over. He was a middle-aged man, probably somewhere in his forties, and had jet-black hair and green eyes. He was wearing wire-framed glasses, and a black suit and black tie.

"Please, call me Danny."

"Fine, Danny. My name is Mr. Starkman; I represented the late Mr. Masters."

"And what do you want with me?"

"You're mentioned in his will. I'm obligated by law to inform you of you standings with regards to Mr. Masters." Danny glanced nervously towards his family.

"Oh, of course they can come as well, since you're a minor and all." He led the Fentons to Vlad's private study and sat behind the desk.

"As you all know, my client was, shall we say, well-off monetarily. It's my duty to inform you that he left everything he owned to one Daniel Jack Fenton, born April 4, 1991." The four stared back at him in shock.

"_Everything?_" Maddie asked incredulously.

"Everything."

"Wow…" Danny murmured. He and his parents all signed the documents that had been offered to them, and Mr. Starkman left to finalize all of the details and oversee the transfer of funds. They sat in shocked silence for a moment, but were interrupted by a soft mewing. Danny looked down and saw a small kitten scampering around the floor. It was white but had black paws. Also, the top of its head and ears had black fur, except for a white vertical streak that began just above the eyes.

"Aw…look at the little guy…" Jazz cooed.

"I guess he's technically yours, Danny. What're you going to do with him?" Maddie asked. Danny thought for a minute.

"I know someone who'd love to keep him."

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The next day, Vlad's (although technically it was Danny's) plane touched down under an overcast Amity Park. As soon as he got home and unpacked, he put the cat in his jacket pocket and made his way over to Sam's house.

"Danny?" The Goth asked, surprised to see him so soon. "I didn't think you'd want to talk to me or Tucker this soon after…you know…" Danny shrugged.

"Can we go to you're room for a minute? I need to tell you something important."

"Sure!" She led him upstairs. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Danny swooped down and kissed her. She held it for a bit, then pulled away softly. "What was that?" she asked. Her tone was soft, not accusatory.

"That was me taking someone's advice for once."

"Elaborate."

"Vlad's last words to me were to never let the one I love get away, or else I'll turn bitter and alone like him. I love you, Sam, way too much to ever risk letting you disappear from my life." She grinned and pulled him into another kiss.

The two of them woke up the next morning in each other's arms. Sam opened her eyes and jumped back in surprise; on top of Danny's head there was a black and white cat! She giggled and quietly reached for her camera, and snapped a picture. The cat yelped and jumped away, and the sudden noise woke Danny up.

"Wha…" he muttered. She showed him the picture. "Oh, ha ha Sam."

"Yep, I'm hilarious. Now explain why there was a cat on your head."

"Oh, I'd forgotten to tell you last night…we found him in Vlad's study and I thought you'd like him."

"Aw…that's so sweet of you!" She kissed him on the forehead. "What's his name?" Danny grinned.

"His name is Plasmius."

THE END

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Well? How was it? That's the closest thing I've ever written to psychological turmoil, although I couldn't resist throwing in some fluff at the end.

Oh, by the way, I picked this up from another author earlier this afternoon, but I can't for the life of me remember who exactly it was. So apologies if you're reading this and think that I'm stealing your idea. HAPPY VLAD DAY! That's right-May 5 is the second anniversary of Vlad's first appearance on Nickelodeon. That's probably the reason why my brother told me thatBR was on TV today ...hmm... I would have watched it myself, but I was taking the SAT's this morning. Hooray. Luckily, my parents let me off of doing regular homework all afternoon, so I was able to write this fic instead of schoolwork. Yay, standardized testing! (Author slaps himself). Why am I still talking? I am _such_ a spaz.


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